New Era on the Rails

Seven trains recently crossed the Baotou-Shenmu railway in Inner Mongolia, heralding a new era in rail freight transport, according to the Chinese government’s communications authority. These trains transported a total of 35,000 tonnes of coal and moved synchronously without physical connections between the individual units. Instead, they communicated via wireless signals, which enabled coordinated movement, according to the authority.

Test phase for new technology

The first test run took place in December 2025. Liu Zhaohui, managing director of CHN ENERGY Baoshen Railway Co., Ltd, which is responsible for organising the tests, explained that the trials had been expanded in recent weeks. The number of stations involved had been increased from five to eight in order to collect data on station operations and conduct autonomous driving tests.